Maine Audubon Advocacy Focus Areas
Clean Water | Climate Change | Environmental Education | Environmental Justice | Forest Habitat Stewardship | Habitat Connectivity | North Woods | Plastic Pollution | Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species | Land Conservation |Renewable Energy
Clean Water
Clean water is essential for fish, loons, and all wildlife. Maine Audubon supports policies that keep pollution and invasive species out of our waterways and that otherwise maintain or improve this essential resource.
Latest News on Clean Water:
Climate Change
Climate change is the most significant threat to Maine’s wildlife and habitat. Impacts to wildlife and habitat due to climate change under a “business as usual” scenario in which Mainers continue at the same levels of consumption and emission of fossil fuels are particularly severe.
Latest News on Climate Change:
Environmental Education
We work to foster environmental literacy in children and adults, helping them become more informed and effective stewards of Maine wildlife and habitat. We support policies that bolster multidisciplinary environmental education for students across the state, especially in underserved communities.
Latest News on Environmental Education:
Environmental Justice
Maine Audubon advocates for policies that further respect, inclusion, and opportunity for all people to help assure a healthier, more vibrant future for all. Just as biodiversity strengthens natural systems, the diversity of human experience strengthens conservation efforts for the benefit of nature and all human beings.
Latest News on Environmental Justice:
Forest Habitat Stewardship
With more than 89% of land covered by forests, Maine holds the largest stretch of nearly unfragmented forest in the eastern United States. We support policies that bolster outdoor recreation, sustainable forestry, and wildlife and wildlife habitat protection throughout Maine’s 18 million acres of working forests.
Latest News on Forest Habitat Stewardship:
Habitat Connectivity
Maine Audubon advocates for policies that facilitate fish and wildlife movement across the landscape, such as funding for Stream Smart culverts and directing development to designated growth areas.
Latest News on Habitat Connectivity:
North Woods
Maine’s 10.5 million acres of North Woods are the heart and soul of the Northern Appalachian/Acadian Forest, the largest intact temperate forest in North America. This landscape and plant diversity creates a mosaic of habitats for many species of wildlife, including the largest moose population in the lower 48 states, the nation’s largest population of Canada Lynx, and a Common Loon population second only to Minnesota.
Latest News on the North Woods:
Plastic Pollution & Toxics
Toxics, such as pesticides, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals, pose significant threats to wildlife by contaminating habitats, disrupting food chains, and causing health issues like reproductive failure and developmental abnormalities. Up to 90% of seabirds are found to have accidentally ingested plastic. Maine Audubon supports policies that reduce unnecessary prevalence of plastics and toxics.
Latest News on Plastic Pollution:
Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species
Maine Audubon advocates for policies that protect and help recover vulnerable species, such as the federal Endangered Species Act and Maine’s Endangered Species Act. The success of these laws and others is incumbent upon functioning, well-funded natural resource agencies at the state and federal level, as well as a public that is committed to wildlife stewardship.
Latest News on Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species:
Land Conservation
Land conservation is crucial for wildlife because it helps preserve and protect the habitats they depend on for survival. Maine Audubon supports a variety of land conservation efforts, including: local land trusts’ conservation endeavors; state programs such as Land for Maine’s Future (LMF), which is responsible for protecting more than 600,000 acres; projects supported by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF); and other initiatives.
Latest News on the Land Conservation:
Renewable Energy
Maine Audubon supports policies that transition Maine to a clean energy economy. Advancements in solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies mean that achieving 100% renewable energy consumption in Maine by 2050 can happen if we work collaboratively, diligently, and in the best interests of Maine people and wildlife alike.
Find resources including a renewable energy reports, a solar siting toolkit, a renewable energy siting tool, and FAQs, and read our latest news about renewable energy.
Latest News on Renewable Energy:
